International Scout fans can be rabid in their love of the SUV from Fort Wayne, Indiana. They want a new Scout, and can’t wait for Volkswagen Group to get its International brand up and running. One such fan has taken it to extremes and created his own new Scout II from, believe it or not, a Nissan Titan pickup truck. 

The retro design build began with a 2016 Nissan Titan XD Pro-4X taken to Steel Farm Customs of Pennsylvania. With the Titan being a four-door vehicle, the first order of business was to shorten it from a 139.8-inch wheelbase to 93.8 inches. Then the Titan body was peeled away to prep the truck for new Scout body panels.

Are the Scout II retro body panels from an original Scout?

The stock door skins got a reworking to accept hand-made steel fenders and quarter panels. Making custom fabb’d sheet metal is a specialty of Steel Farm. New bumpers were also hand-built. While the hood is from the Nissan, a new leading edge ties into the custom-made Scout II grille. 

A new top resembles the original Scout’s, while Steel Farm chose to ditch the stock windshield and build new A-pillars and the base of the cowl to accept a Ford F-100 windshield. This was to more closely mimic the Scout’s abrupt windshield. 

Is the Scout II’s interior retro or new?

Inside, it is all stock 2016 Nissan Titan. That is what we would expect with a rebody like this. And if the owner wanted a more retro interior, he might have been better off stabbing a modern drivetrain into a stock Scout II. As it is, it’s a nice contrast between old and new. 

The stock Nissan Titan 5.0-liter Cummins diesel engine and six-speed automatic were left in the shorter 4×4 chassis. This way the owner can take it to any Nissan dealership for servicing. Wouldn’t that be fun to watch it pull into a Nissan dealer’s service department asking for an oil change? 

You can own this one

The end result is not entirely convincing, but that’s the point. It says Scout II while also having more contemporary proportions to make viewers do a double-take. Maybe a little less front overhang would improve the proportions. And Scouts always had short front overhangs. But modern vehicles package too much ahead of the front wheel centerline to allow it today.

The original Scout IIs were built from 1971 to 1980, while this retro version was made in 2018. The reason it is surfacing now is that it has come up for sale at Fourbie Exchange. It is out of Parkton, Maryland, and it shows only 20,000 miles, making this a fairly low-mileage deal.

So if your dream is to drive a modern Scout II, but can’t wait for the new one not set to premiere until 2026, then this is your chance.